UCSD OPENS CCAA TITLE DEFENSE WITH ROAD PAIRHaving completed its non-conference slate at an even 1-1 against nationally-ranked West Region foes, UCSD now heads into the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) portion of its 2013 schedule. The Tritons, who earned a record eighth CCAA banner in 2012, will make a pair of short trips north, to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, Sept. 13 (4:30 p.m.) and Cal State L.A. on Sunday, Sept. 15 (2 p.m.). Both games will have live stats, with Sunday's tilt in Los Angeles also featuring a live video stream (no audio), free of charge. UCSD faces a four-match road stretch in all to start league competition.

FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC A season after UCSD played a program-record 10 overtime contests, both matches during the opening weekend came down to the wire at Triton Soccer Stadium. Junior All-American midfielder Cassie Callahan (Coronado/Coronado HS) struck a picture-perfect right-footed goal into the upper left corner from outside of the penalty area with just under 11 minutes left in regulation to complete a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over No. 21 Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 5. Two nights later, it was 12th-ranked visiting Western Washington which notched the late winner, scoring with only 68 ticks remaining in the second half to steal a 1-0 result. It was the Vikings' first-ever goal in La Jolla in 360 minutes of action.

CALLAHAN AT IT AGAINCallahan's late decider against SPU marked the start of her scoring account for 2013. The third-year standout led UCSD in goals (10), assists (8), total points (28), shots (59) and shots on goal (25-tied) in 2012. The strike was her 14th career goal and fifth of the game-winning variety. Teammate Kiera Bocchino, a redshirt freshman starting on the right side of midfield, equalized earlier in the 48th minute with a volley from a Rachel Leslie pass for her first career goal in her collegiate debut. Callahan, Leslie and junior striker Izzy Pozurama are Triton tri-captains in 2013.

TRITON NOTES UCSD is 7-6 in CCAA openers ... The come-from-behind 2-1 win over Seattle Pacific on Sept. 5 kept the Tritons an undefeated 13-0-1 in season openers in the Division II era ... UCSD was an unbeaten 8-0-1 in true road games in 2012, and 11-1-3 in all away from La Jolla, the lone loss coming to West Florida in the national title match in Evans, Ga. ... UCSD moved down from No. 3 to No. 20 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, released Tuesday, with the Tritons rated No. 3 in the West Region ... UCSD had four true freshmen, in addition to Bocchino, in its opening-night starting lineup on Sept. 5 ... Those players were Jamie Benedetto, Alexis Leon, Kristen Sampietro and Kylee Southwell ... Other newcomers to make their Triton debuts over the weekend were Jessica Dang, Maxia Espino (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS), Kiley Leshin, Devon Roncoroni (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) and Marissa Scheid.

HEAD COACH BRIAN McMANUSBrian McManus is in his 27th season in charge of the UCSD women's soccer program. With a career record of 435-68-42, he has achieved the most wins in NCAA Division II women's soccer history. McManus has compiled the seventh-highest win percentage in NCAA women's soccer history at .837. He ranks fourth among all divisions in wins and is third in all-time win percentage in Division II history. McManus has directed UCSD to seven national championships and a record eight CCAA crowns, with the Tritons advancing to the national semifinals an incredible 15 times in his 26 years. Under his guidance, UCSD has qualified for the NCAA postseason all 13 seasons during the Division III days and all but one of 13 years (2004) since the move up to Division II, including the last eight in succession.

ABOUT THE TOROS Cal State Dominguez Hills is off to a 1-1 start. The Toros dropped a 2-1 decision at Azusa Pacific on Saturday after holding on for a 2-1 home win over Point Loma on Thursday, with those two goals coming early in the second half from Janelle McGee and Caitlin Peterson. Sophomore Jennifer Ackerly has played all 180 minutes in the CSUDH goal. Joe Flanagan is in his 11th season at the helm of the Toro women's program.

SERIES HISTORY UCSD leads the all-time series, 21-16-5. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in La Jolla last season prior to a 3-1 Triton victory in Carson in mid-October with goals coming from Pozurama (two) and Callahan. UCSD is unbeaten over its last eight (5-0-3) against the Toros since a 2-1 overtime loss in La Jolla in the 2009 regular-season finale. That run includes a pair of matches during the 2009 postseason in which the results went down as ties, though the Toros advanced via penalty-kick shootouts. The Tritons have won five straight in Carson, four of those victories by one-goal margins, and are undefeated there against CSUDH since 2004 (7-0-1). UCSD will host the Toros at Triton Soccer Stadium on Friday, Oct. 18 (7 p.m.).

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES Cal State L.A. has opened its 2013 campaign with a pair of shutout home wins, 4-0 over Saint Martin's on Sunday, Sept. 8, and 1-0 over Point Loma on Tuesday night, Sept. 10. Junior newcomer Amalia Arvidsson, a native of Sweden, notched the late winner over PLNU in the 80th minute after contributing two goals and an assist in her Golden Eagle debut against Saint Martin's. Sophomore Amanda Johnson has totalled four saves in achieving a pair of clean sheets in net. CSULA is the only team to have ever outpointed UCSD in the South Division standings since the Tritons joined the CCAA for the 2000 season, doing so in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. Isabelle Harvey is in her first year directing the Golden Eagles after spending the previous seven seasons as the head coach at Cal Poly Pomona. The Golden Eagles will host Cal Poly Pomona on Friday prior to welcoming in the Tritons Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY UCSD leads the all-time series, 15-8-1, and swept both meetings a year ago, both by one-goal margins. The Tritons won a thriller in Los Angeles, 2-1, thanks to a free-kick goal with just three seconds left in double overtime, after Callahan had equalized via header in the 54th minute. In La Jolla in mid-October, Pozurama's lone goal at 9:31 held up as Kelcie Brodsky kept the clean sheet with six saves. The Tritons have won on three straight trips to Los Angeles, all by a single score. UCSD will host CSULA at Triton Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 3 (2 p.m. - Senior Day).

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UP NEXT UCSD concludes a season-long four-match road stretch at Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, Sept. 20 (7 p.m.), and Sunday, Sept. 22 (2 p.m.), respectively.